Spasso Milano buffet lunch @ Pavilion KL - Spasso

Came here on Sunday, 10 June 2012.

Just one pic coz too hungry on that day.

Quite a lot of variety.

Proton, Perodua fail vs Tata, Jaguar Land Rover win!

Do you own a Proton, Mr Critic?

RK Anand | July 27, 2012

A MIC leader warns that Pakatan Rakyat's cheaper car pledge can hurt BN in terms of votes and calls on the ruling coalition to move into high gear with regard to this issue.

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Rakyat’s pledge to slash the tax imposed on cars has drawn criticism from political rivals, who claim that the move will deal a fatal blow to local manufacturers.
However, one Barisan Nasional leader begged to differ.
Speaking to FMT, MIC communication and publicity chief S Vell Paari questioned if the critics had purchased a Proton or Perodua model themselves.
“I wonder if those championing the need to protect Proton and Perodua have bought, owned or driven a Proton or Perodua?” he added.
On the contrary, Vell Paari, who is involved in the automotive industry, said that such a move would be beneficial to the national car makers as competition would breed innovation.
In the absence of protection, he added, Proton and Perodua would be compelled to compete with other car manufactures and this would ensure that the companies produced quality vehicles.
Citing India as an example, Vell Paari said the local manufacturers there had enjoyed protection in the past.
“But when the market was opened up, Korean manufacturer Hyundai took the nation by storm, and this forced the local manufacturers to step up their game.
“Now these companies produce excellent vehicles, and Indian company Tata now owns the prestigious Jaguar and Ranger Rover brands,” he added.
Significant impact on voters
The MIC central working committee member stressed that the issue was not about partisan politics but rather policies which were beneficial to the nation.
The self-confessed car enthusiast warned BN that the opposition’s pledge would have a significant impact on the voters, especially the younger generation who yearned to drive better cars.
In view of this, Vell Paari said the government should also consider re-structuring the tax imposed on cars instead of criticising Pakatan.
“If it is not feasible to scrap the tax in total, then perhaps it should be removed for cars below the RM200,000 price bracket.
“The government can continue to impose a high tax on the well-heeled who want to buy luxury vehicles but the middle-class Malaysians should be spared,” he added.
Among those who criticised Pakatan over this issue were Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali.
Vell Paari also dismissed Perkasa’s argument that the move could lead to the folding up of Proton and Perodua, therefore rendering the companies’ predominantly Malay workforce jobless.
The MIC leader said Ibrahim failed to understand that in the era of globalisation, race-based protectionism for the corporate sector would not work.
“Furthermore, wouldn’t the employees take greater pride in their work if Proton and Perodua produced world-class cars? Why keep their progress stagnant with protection?
“Competition would ensure that these workers, engineers and designers sharpen their skills and in return, this would provide better job prospects and a brighter future for them,” he added.
Suffering a perception crisis
Vell Paari noted that both Proton and Perodua suffered a perception crisis, with their products being viewed as unreliable and unsafe but still expensive.
This perception, he stressed, must be rectified and stiff competition would be the best panacea for the malaise.
“In countries like Australia, cars are still priced cheaper despite the stringent requirements with regard to safety aspects. So why can’t we do the same?” he said.
To the average Malaysian, Vell Paari said, it was perplexing as to why he or she needed to fork out a substantial sum for a local car when these models were sold cheaper abroad.
The MIC leader called on the government to look into this issue with immediate concern.
“Don’t let Pakatan use the car issue to overtake us in the drive towards Putrajaya in the next general election,” he added.
Recently, Pakatan said it would review the National Automotive Policy (NAP) towards reducing the market price of cars if it captured the administrative capital in the next general election.

Read more: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/07/27/do-you-own-a-proton-mr-critic/#ixzz22CEGMd8U

We Didn't Start The Fire: 40-year history, 120 pix, song, lyrics by Billy Joel - http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

This video is both educational and entertaining.

It plays the song 'We Didn't Start The Fire' while displaying its lyrics with with pictures.

Best of all, you can click on the lyrics or pictures to learn more about them from Wikipedia!

So, whatcha waiting for?

Click here to start 'We Didn't Start The Fire' now!

National Day or BN Day? Najib, unlike Dr M, is dull!

National Day or BN Day?

Selena Tay | July 28, 2012

By appropriating the celebrations with his 'Janji Ditepati' slogan, Najib has shown how desperate he is to swing votes in BN's favour

COMMENT

In all the 22 years of his tenure as prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had never ever used BN’s party slogan for the National Day celebrations. This is due to the fact that Dr Mahathir is a man of ideas unlike the current Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.
And PM Najib’s lack of ideas is really obvious because he is using BN’s campaign slogan, ‘Janji Ditepati’ (Promises Fulfilled) as the slogan for the National Day.
“The PM has decided that the National Day is also BN’s Day and this is irresponsible at best and despicable at worst,” said Kuala Selangor PAS MP Dzulkefly Ahmad.
“By doing so, Najib has ignored 48% of the rakyat who gave the opposition the popular vote in the previous general election. The National Day theme should be neutral and all inclusive, for example the slogan ‘Together We Rebuild The Nation’ would be more suitable,” added Dzulkefly.
His PAS colleague, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar concurred, saying that by using the party slogan the PM has shown disrespect to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and PR’s supporters as if the National Day only belongs to BN.
Definitely BN has appropriated the National Day for themselves and this use of the National Day as an election campaign platform is an indication that there is a high probability that Parliament will be dissolved in August.
In fact, a PAS political observer had just opined that the PM may even dissolve Parliament on the night he delivers the Aidil Fitri message so that the Aidil Fitri Open Houses can also double up for the election campaign.
Najib’s use of BN’s campaign slogan for the National Day celebrations reveals his desperation to woo the rakyat into voting for BN. Certainly he has run out of ideas. It is thus obvious that he is not a visionary leader.
“Whereas Dr Mahathir’s ‘Look East Policy’ has firm substance and basis, Najib’s GTP (Government Transformation Programme) is all hot air and hype. The GTP Roadmap which is only glamour and glitz could even lead to nowhere compared to Dr Mahathir’s ‘Look East Policy’ which has brought progress and prosperity to Malaysia through the inculcation of a hardworking and professional work ethic,” said a businessman who requested to remain anonymous.
The National Day theme must be inclusive as it is a celebration for all the peoples of Malaysia. How can PM Najib talk about ‘Janji Ditepati’ when there are rural areas in Malaysia still without the supply of clean pipe water?
Desperate to stay in power at all costs
Clearly Najib intends to use ‘Janji Ditepati’ to turn the National Day celebrations into a day of solely campaigning for BN.
“Therefore the National Day celebrations is the last ditch effort by PM Najib to win over the people’s support if the polls are to be held in mid-September,” said Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim.
According to the anonymous businessman mentioned above, the investment climate has dampened due to the delaying of the general election and if Najib delays the date any further, the results will be disastrous.
That is the reason why he has no choice but to use the National Day celebrations as his election campaign in view of the polls which is now quite certain to be held before Sept 17.
The National Day celebrations is a time to foster harmony and goodwill among all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. That the PM as leader of the country has chosen to divide the nation at this most crucial celebration of the nation only highlights his selfish attitude in looking after only his own interests.
The National Day celebrations is now a bone of contention due to the PM’s fault. People are not stupid and can see BN’s cunning and diabolical methods in dividing the citizens on National Day. BN’s propaganda makes it seem very obvious as if those supporting BN are patriotic citizens whereas those supporting PR are deemed as traitors to the nation.
This subtle brainwashing employed by BN to influence the rakyat is Machiavellian indeed and shows that BN has no qualms in creating disunity among the citizens all because of its greedy agenda of wanting to stay in power at all costs.
Najib is certainly the chief planner in this evil plot of ruining the harmony of the rakyat as National Day is supposed to be a time to put aside all political differences – even just for this one day. But this is impossible now and it is all Najib’s fault.
National Day celebrations is a time for nation-building and people-building. Sadly the PM only sees it as a political platform. It is time for us to choose leaders who place the welfare of the rakyat above that of their own. We do not want selfish and self-serving leaders who try to hoodwink us into voting for them.
We want leaders who are ready and willing to serve the rakyat. And the people must wake up to this, especially the people of Sabah and Sarawak.
Last but not least, this columnist suggests ‘Standing Together For The Nation’ as a neutral and all-encompassing National Day theme.

Read more: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/07/28/national-day-or-bn-day/#ixzz221YVF6yS

Singapore sex city, sex 4 favours, business, grades

Singapore is indeed a 'sex-charged' country or 'sex city'.

This year alone, three corruption charges have been brought to the court - all of them sex-related.

The first case involves ex-SCDF head,  Peter Benedict Lim Sin Pang who is facing charges of obtaining sexual favours from not one but three women. He is reported to have had sex in a car at a carpark for four out of the ten occasions.

The second case involves ex- Central Narcotics Bureau (NCB) Chief Ng Boon Gay is accused of “receiving sexual favors” from Cecilia Sue Siew Nang, a former employee of Oracle in Singapore in return for “furthering the business interests” of the companies she was working with at the time.

The latest case involves Associate law professor Tey Tsun Hang from the National University of Singapore (NUS) who is charged with six corruption counts of allegedly showing favour to his former student Darinne Ko Wen Hui between May 2010 and July 2010.

Restoran O & S Paramount PJ, crazy crowd - lunch

This coffee shop is packed during lunch. You have to be wait to be seated. ;)

RM6 pan mee with egg is one of my favourites.

There's also a famous Yong Tau Foo stall here.

For direction, click on URL below:

http://maps.google.com.my/maps?q=restoran+o%26s&oe=utf-8&aq=t&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=restoran+o%26s&hnear=Kuala+Lumpur,+Federal+Territory+of+Kuala+Lumpur&t=m&z=12&vpsrc=0&iwloc=A&cid=14209510781027241252http://maps.google.com.my/maps?q=restoran+o%26s&oe=utf-8&aq=t&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=restoran+o%26s&hnear=Kuala+Lumpur,+Federal+Territory+of+Kuala+Lumpur&t=m&z=12&vpsrc=0&iwloc=A&cid=14209510781027241252

Technically Malay, genetically Chinese is Ridhuan T

Ridhuan Tee does it again!

Zan Azlee is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer, New Media practitioner and lecturer. He runs Fat Bidin Media www.fatbidin.com

July 27, 2012

JULY 27 — My beef with Ridhuan Tee began a few years ago when I first started reading his writing and listening to him speak in public about Islam.

I have to say that I although I don’t agree with almost everything that this man utters, I still subscribe to the belief that I will defend to the death his right to say it.

And when I say that, I also hope that my right to express my disagreement with him will be defended by the man himself. How else can we enter a discourse, right?

Anyway, my beef with him has grown thanks to his recent rant at the launch of his books “Masih Adakah Ketuanan Melayu?” and “Cabaran Saudara Baharu di Malaysia”.

I have yet to read them, but trust me, I definitely will. But what he said during the launch, which was reported by the media, was enough to ruffle my feathers.

Tee, a Chinese who embraced Islam many years ago, mentioned that because the Federal Constitution defines Malays as those who profess Islam, he had no choice but to place himself among those in the Malay race as well.

I, for one, am not concerned about being Malay, Chinese, Indian or Dan Lain-Lain (this doesn’t mean that I am not proud of my Malay and Chinese heritage).

Religion does not know race or ethnicity. I am no Tahfiz or Hafiz, but I can say confidently that nowhere does it state in the Quran that being Muslim means being Malay (or vice versa).

If that is the case, Malays would be one of the largest racial groups in the world. The Chinese better start relaxing their birth control laws!

Tee also continues to say that to protect the religion, he has to defend the Malay race as a whole.

Islam does not distinguish people according to race or creed and it defends the right of all Muslims (and in fact, non-Muslims too), as stated in the Quran.

Surah Ar Rum says:

“And it is a sign of Allah that he created the heavens and earth and He created the diversity of languages and colours.”

Surah Al Hujurat says:

“O mankind! We have created you from a single male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. The most honourable of you in the sight of Allah are surety the righteous.”

Even Prophet Muhammad made this clear as he is quoted as saying (and with a touch of brilliant humour, if I may add!):

“You should listen to and obey your ruler even if he was an Ethiopian slave whose head looked like a raisin.”

Many Malays annoyingly try to be more Arab-like in their dressing, style and speaking because they think that by doing so, they become more Islamic.

I am sorry but it doesn’t work that way.

And here comes a person, an academician and professed learned person nonetheless, who is trying to be Malay because he thinks that would make him more Islamic.

How sad is that? So my advice to my fellow Muslim brother Ridhuan Tee is to take heed of what Prophet Muhammad said:

“Indeed my friends and allies are not the tribe of so and so. Rather, my friends and allies are the pious wherever they may be.”

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Janji ditepati: BN not popular, not responsible, Najib

BN government not in popularity contest, says Najib

NEWS/COMMENTARIES

Thursday, 26 July 2012 Super Admin

"Problems such as the water issue in Selangor, the BN government can resolve. The time will come when the people of Selangor can choose a government that can resolve the water issue and the garbage collection problem, as well as bring prosperity to the state," Najib said.

So, the BN government can resolve the water issue in Selangor but it does not want to. Totally irresponsible!

In the meantime, Free Malaysia Today reported:

Samad said that Najib’s statement urging Selangor voters to “choose the right government” to resolve the state’s water issue was clear-cut political campaigning for the general election.

“The EC should reprimand the prime minister. How can you allow Najib to say such things when election is not even called for yet?” asked Samad.

Read 'Reprimand Najib, Bersih tells EC' @ Free Malaysia Today.

Janji ditepati? Janji petrol naik kalau BN menang. ;).

Someone said, 'Janji ditepati? Janji petrol naik kalau BN menang.'

Translated, 'Promises fulfilled? Promise the price of petrol will increase if BN wins.'

Wuahaha...

Why lah, this 2012 National Day logo is utterly uninspiring?

Online, the 2012 National Day logo gets a drubbing

The worst thing about the logo is the ubiquitous uncreative 1Malaysia logo. Totally ugly.

Police personnel poorly utilised in crime fighting.

Police personnel poorly utilised in crime fighting

Liew Chin Tong 9:59AM Jul 21, 2012

MP SPEAKS Reprioritising the tasks of police personnel is the way forward to lower the crime rate and safeguard our families instead of "chasing shadows" in the BN government's obsession with regime security.

Recently, national debate about whether the recent spike in crimes was mere ‘perception' has captured headlines and fuelled a blame game. However, police distribution is an important factor that has escaped public notice. Statistics will show a clearer picture of what is hindering the men in blue from making us feel safe.

As of January 2011, for every uniformed police handling crime, there are six in non-crime sectors. This means six times as many police officers are tasked with non-crime related jobs, than those who are fighting crime.

It is a sobering fact that the Criminal Investigation Department makes up only 9 percent, or 9,346, of the total 105,929 uniformed police force. No wonder we feel unsafe!


Overall, barely 14 percent of the uniformed police force is in crime-related departments (criminal investigation department, narcotics and commercial crime investigation).

Meanwhile, a whopping 86 percent of police personnel belong to the non-crime related sectors (management, internal security and public order, logistics, special branch, and special task force).

Could this be due to the BN government's obsession with regime security by placing emphasis on the surveillance of political foes, resulting in such a cock and bull story of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists and former communists who have supposedly infiltrated Pakatan Rakyat as alleged by the Special Branch?

These startling figures were revealed by the Home Ministry in a written parliamentary reply during last year's parliamentary session. The Home Ministry has refused to answer a similar question at this year's parliamentary session.

In 2005, the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry Report made recommendations on transforming the Malaysian police into an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service focussed on three core functions - to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to uphold human rights.

The total number of uniformed police personnel has increased from 82,135 in 2001 to 105,929 a decade later. (Civilian staff in the police force is not included in the statistics). Throughout the years, there has not been changes in the distribution of personnel among departments despite public concern over the increase crime.

For instance, in 2011, 41 percent of uniformed police are in management, 31 percent internal security and public order, 9 percent in logistics, 5 percent in Special Branch, whereas the Criminal Investigation Department only had 9 percent of the uniformed personnel.

The police was given an allocation of RM4.5 billion in 2010, RM5.8 billion in 2011 and RM6.3 billion in 2012 respectively. There is an increase of RM1.8 billion, or 40 percent, between 2010 and 2012.

Consistently in the past three years, the Criminal Investigation Department has received only 8 percent of the total allocation. Talk about misplaced priorities!

There is no point quarrelling over statistics unless the government is willing to move beyond its own obsession with regime security and take measures to prioritise the safety of ordinary Malaysians.

---

LIEW CHIN TONG is DAP MP for Bukit Bendera.

Subway Ramadan Meal @ Subway 1Shamelin Mall

 The Subway is a bit hidden.

 You can choose one cookie for Ramadan meal.

Ramadan meal:

1 sandwich + 1 drink + 1 cookie = RM9.90.

 I had the Ramadan meal while my wife had the Classics steak sandwich.

Khariy, nobody said court decision absolved Bersih!

So, now it's official.

Bersih 2.0 is legal, judge rules

Remember, Umno was once ruled illegal by a judge. On February 4, 1988, when delivering his judgment, the then High Court Judge, Justice Datuk Harun Hashim said, "'It is a very hard decision to declare UMNO unlawful. But the law was made by our Parliament and certainly UMNO was aware [of the Societies Act] because they were in the majority [in Parliament] at all times [when the law was made]. Under the 1966 Act, amended five times over the years, and most recently by Mahathir's government, each of the society's branches has to register separately with the Registrar...." (Source: Wikipedia).

Umno Selangor treasurer-Syabas water sabo rakyat

Pulling plug on water rationing reveals Umno ploy, says Selangor

UPDATED @ 07:11:24 PM 23-07-2012

July 23, 2012

A general view of the water treatment plant in Semenyih, July 23, 2012. Selangor insists that the reported water crisis has been manufactured to smear the state administration.—Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 ― Putrajaya’s admission that water rationing was not necessary in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur has proven that the issue was a political gimmick to discredit the Selangor government, state executive council member Elizabeth Wong said today. She also said that Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) has been turned into an Umno tool to coerce the Selangor government into approving the construction of the Sungai Langat Water Treatment Plant or Langat 2.
Putrajaya has said it will tender out the RM3.6 billion plant despite Selangor’s objections, citing hefty costs for constructing a new plant that will take two years to complete.
“The federal government has no real solution in improving the supply and management of treated water. In fact, they are trying to sabotage Selangor government efforts to do the right thing to protect people’s interests,” she said in a statement today.
Wong said Putrajaya did not enumerate Langat 2’s capability to address the water shortage whereas Selangor already has a RM225 million plan for water mitigation.
“What is needed is an independent committee to decide which project is more effective in solving the shortage of treated water at a low cost,” she added.
She told the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to acknowledge its mistake when signing the water privatisation agreement in 2004, saying the error cannot be rectified until now.
“The Selangor government has the right to take over Syabas under the Water Supply Industry Act 2006. The federal government’s decision to stop this effort shows that the BN government is partial to corporate companies linked to Umno rather than protecting the people’s interests,” she said.
Syabas is controlled by Puncak Niaga Bhd that is run by corporate figure Tan Sri Rozali Ismail, who is the Selangor Umno treasurer.
Wong also said that the chairman of the special Cabinet committee on water, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has no experience in the matter and unable to contribute good ideas for water management.
“When he was the Johor mentri besar, he made the state water tariffs among the highest in the country,” she added.
She pointed out that efforts to privatise water supply in Johor to tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary’s MMC Corp Bhd will add to the “people’s burden”.
“The Johor people will face an unreasonable water tariff, unlike those in Selangor who receive free water. The BN government wants to pawn the rights of Johor people, but Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor will not keep quiet against those making a profit from people’s suffering,” the Bukit Lanjan assemblyman said.
Syed Mokhtar’s MMC conglomerate is seeking to form a special purpose vehicle with Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB), a wholly-owned company under the Minister of Finance Incorporated, to take over the country’s water assets, The Edge Financial Daily reported today.
Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister, also told reporters earlier today that the proposed Langat 2 water treatment plant was important to prevent Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from reaching critical water supply levels by 2014.
He said the federal government will refer the Selangor government’s planned takeover of Syabas to the Attorney-General as it involved legal technicalities.
The Selangor government has also said it will pay to upgrade two water treatment plants to increase water supply if Putrajaya continued to delay transferring RM225 million for the project.
The two plants, Sungai Selangor Plant 1 (SSP1) and Sungai Selangor Plant 2 (SSP2), are currently running below their maximum capacity output due to infrastructural limitations to channel treated water out to the water supply network.

Purple Cane Gardens Mid Valley: Good food + WiFi

I am sure you know what the above info is for...

Umno Youth direct link to Communist Youth League

The DAP has insisted that it does not have communist links, but pointed out that BN was the one with direct links with the Chinese Communist Party.

Commenting on claims by Special Branch chief assistant director of the E2(M) national social extremist threat division Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin on Monday that PAS and DAP were infiltrated by Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist and communists elements respectively, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in a press release today, said back in Oct 12, 2009 Umno Youth had set up a permanent secretariat to strengthen ties between BN Youth and the Communist Youth League of China (CYL), adding that under BN Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, the secretariat seeks to facilitate contnous bilateral programmes to promote a stronger bond between the two entities.

Lim said, “This is not a government to government relationship but party to party direct linkage... made knowingly, consciously and with full consent by Khairy.”

Syabas cannot do things right. It CAN ONLY blame!

Syabas cannot call for water rationing. Syabas cannot solve water woes. Syabas cannot manage its debts. There is only one thing that Syabas can do - blame Selangor government.

Syabas cannot call for water rationing

Published: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Water Forum (FAM) is demanding that Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) stop issuing media statements regarding water rationing.

According to FAM, which was formed to assist the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) regarding consumer interests, Syabas can only implement water rationing with permission from SPAN.

“(Syabas) should instead file a formal application to SPAN as soon as possible,” said FAM secretary-general Ratna Devi Nadarajan.

Ratna said under Section 54 of the Water Services Industry Act 2006, SPAN has the sole power to approve water rationing after formal application filed by the water distribution licensee.

Syabas has called for water rationing to be done immediately due to worsening water shortage.

According to the water company, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are facing a water crisis with reserve levels of all 34 water treatment plants down to an average of two per cent - the safe mark is 20 per cent.

Ratna said Section 54 clause (3) of the Act stated the water distribution licensee must ensure consumers within its distribution area are supplied with water by taking necessary steps like sending out water tankers.

FAM also suggested for SPAN to carry out a full independent performance audit to determine the capability of Syabas to carry out its duties as sole water distributor in Selangor, KL and Putrajaya.

Ratna urged consumers to use water more efficiently as a recent study showed Malaysians were the highest users in the region with more than 200 litres per capita per day. “We should not use precious treated water to wash cars, clean the streets, or even water the plants as there are a lot of alternative ways to do so, such as rainwater harvesting,” she added.

Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has announced the state’s intention to take over the operations of Syabas as it doubts the water concessionaire’s claims of a water shortage.

Khalid, in a press conference on Monday, said all seven dams in the state were not only full to capacity, but overflowing.  He said there were indications that the water shortage claim may have been concocted.

Girls waiting longer to lose virginity, right guy for sex

US surveys finds girls waiting longer to lose their virginity

July 20, 2012

A new American survey suggests that teenage girls may be delaying having sex for the first time. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

NEW YORK, July 20 — Young women in the US are having their first sexual experience after – not before – they arrive on campus, according to a survey released yesterday. The “Ultimate College Girl Survey,” conducted by HerCampus.com, an online community for college women, was conducted during the 2011-12 academic year and involved nearly 2,600 participants between the ages of 17 and 23.
Sixty-nine per cent of those surveyed said that they didn't lose their virginity until they turned 18, while 43 per cent of respondents were still virgins at the time of the survey.  For those respondents who had already had sex, 12.3 per cent lost their virginity at 17, while 9.5 per cent said that their first time was at age 16. Participants hailed from 677 different US schools, with graduating classes 2012 through 2015 almost equally represented.
“The delay in first sex in the HerCampus.com survey seems high, which may be due to selectivity in who is interviewed,” Laura Lindberg, a senior research associate at Guttmacher, told Self Magazine. “However, it's not surprising that girls attending college wait to have sex later than other girls, for many reasons,” she says, citing race, income and parents' education as potential factors.
Even still, she adds that being a virgin likely has less of a stigma today than it has in recent years. “We hear over and over from readers that they are waiting for the right guy to have sex for the first time, rather than simply viewing it as an item to check off their high school or college bucket list,” Kaplan says.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, young girls are waiting longer to have their first sexual experience. The proportion of 15- to 19-year-old females who had been sexually active at least once declined from 51 per cent in 1988 to 43 percent in 2006-2010.
For males, CDC data suggests the decline is even greater – the proportion of 15- to 19-year-old males who had been sexually active at least once dropped from 60 per cent in 1988 to 42 per cent in 2006-2010. — AFP-Relaxnews

Malaysia's debts might BOOM. Penang sees boom

Malaysia’s debts a potential time bomb, say economists

By Lee Wei Lian

July 18, 2012

Penang sees boom after Thailand and Japan disasters

By Clara Chooi

July 19, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Recent natural disasters in Malaysia’s regional neighbours have perpetuated an industrial boom in Penang as global manufacturers flee to the Pearl of the Orient to park their businesses in a bid to spread risk, the Asian Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported today.

The international paper wrote that global tech firms, eyeing Penang not only for its strong logistics infrastructure but also its geographic location outside the the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, now find the island an attractive alternative investment destination.

File photo of the Komtar Tower, a Penang landmark, is seen in the background as ferries park at a jetty in Penang. Multinational firms are now looking to invest more in Penang. — Reuters pic

This investment climb, it said, has helped Penang rediscover its industrial dynamism from the 1970s and placed the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled (PR) state onto the global investment map.

 “Longer term, many multinational companies are preparing better for natural disasters and supply-chain disruptions, and they now see Penang and Malaysia as an attractive location,” the paper quoted Globetronics Technology Bhd managing director Heng Huck Lee as saying.

The article noted that the only possible risk to investing in Penang was the prospect of political turbulence as the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) is facing stiffer competition from PR in the coming polls.

This, it added, ultimately meant that PR-ruled states like Penang could face policy conflicts with the federal capital.

“But those tensions are relatively minor compared with those of some of Malaysia’s neighbours,” WSJ wrote, pointing to Malaysia’s geographic location.

“The country sits safely away from the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, mostly unaffected by the earthquakes and volcanoes that can afflict countries such as Japan and Indonesia.

“Malaysia also is less likely to fall victim to the kind of flooding that left Thailand’s economy flailing last year,” it said.

WSJ reported that the earthquake in Japan and floods in Thailand last year had left companies in both nations flailing.

The hardware industry was hit especially hard from Thailand’s flooding, it said, even forcing renowned electronics firms like disk-drive maker Western Digital and electronics companies Sony Corp, SNE and Toshiba Corp to temporary shut down their plants.

At one point, global prices for disk drives even doubled, WSJ reported, before Western Digital and other manufacturers began bumping up their productions in Malaysia.

“Now the California company is expanding across Malaysia in a five-year, US$1.2 billion (RM3.8 billion) effort to whittle down its dependence on Thailand.

“A new Malaysian plant is expected to open this year,” the paper wrote.

Others, including chip-maker Intel Corp, audio firm Bose Corp and electronics-equipment makers National Instruments Corp and Agilent Technologies, have also begun expanding their operations here.

With investments pouring in, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is banking on another “bumper year” in 2012 after having pushed for the construction of more industrial parks to accommodate the investment boost.

“We had fallen off the radar screen, so we went back to the drawing board. It just takes a little time to shake off the rust,” Lim was quoted as saying.

Syabas, rakyat for supporting Pua. Loser Syabas ;)

Syabas, rakyat Selangor for supporting your wakil rakyat, Tony Pua .

Unable to take criticism, you had to sue. Shame on you, Syabas.

May Malaysia have wakil rakyat who will always fight for the rights of her people.

Tony Pua gets overwhelming public support against Syabas

UPDATED @ 06:59:54 PM 18-07-2012

By Hafidz Baharom

July 17, 2012

Pua has pledged the excess of funds raised to the DAP General Election Fund. — file pic

PETALING JAYA, July 17 — The “RM1 for Water Rights: 100,000 Malaysians Support Tony Pua vs Syabas” online campaign in support of DAP federal lawmaker Tony Pua has announced that they have managed to collect more than RM150,000 from their online campaign.

A donation box making the rounds at dinner tonight.

“By the end of the online campaign, we have managed to collect RM150,939,” said the campaign’s organiser, Yeo Bee Yin tonight.

When he took to the stage, Pua stated the overall total collected by the campaign, inclusive of the dinner and the rounds done by DAP volunteers with donation boxes.

“And so, I would like to announce the total amounts of the campaign. As announced earlier by Bee Yin, we managed to collect RM151,000. The dinner has managed to collect RM173,000. And the donation has managed to collect RM22,400. This is an overall total of RM310,000,” he announced.

The amount collected is RM110,000 more than the sum Pua has been ordered to pay in damages to Syabas.

Lim Kit Siang addresses attendees of the dinner.

The excess has been pledged by Pua to the DAP General Election Fund.

Last month, Syabas won a defamation suit against the DAP national publicity secretary, who was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to pay RM200,000 in damages besides costs and interests.

The opposition party had started an online campaign to raise RM100,000 to help the federal lawmaker pay the amount by July 16, but the financial support from the public was beyond expectation, organisers have said.

The cause to aid the MP had instead managed to collect RM143,256 by July 16 from tens of thousands of Malaysians in a one-week period.

Old man punched, robbed at 1 Utama mall car park!

I was surprised to learn from my wife that the victim was our friend's uncle.

Here's the print screen of my wife's posting with the comment from our friend:

'What's going on in Kuala Lumpur?' Facebook page has the news covered in English. Visit:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481767321852178&set=a.362615530434025.95225.361352220560356&type=1&theater

The story was also reported by 8TV in its Mandarin News at 8 PM today.

Lastly, check out the story @ STOMP:

This Urban Jungle

Posted on 17 Jul 2012

More crime in KL: Old man punched and robbed at 1 Utama shopping mall carpark

Unknowingly signed letter with ‘lies’? Is Ling 'lying'?!

How many letters containing "lies" that Ling had unknowingly signed or PKFZ letter was the only one?

Pray, tell me. If Ling could make such a big blunder on the "mother of all scandals", what about the rest?

Ling, just another "liar" ex-minister of Malaysia.

Liong Sik: Letter to Dr M contained ‘lies’

DRe1M: Now Najib's volunteering dream comes true

@ Malaysia Today

Volunteering with favours

http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/from-around-the-blogs/50600-volunteering-with-favours

Commuters balk at 'Najib Express' - WAJAH NAJIB

Wajah Najib Punca Kebencian Rakyat Kepada BN. Najib, tiada padah kalau dengar nasihat orang tua bernama chedet. Berikut tulisan di blog beliau:
1. Di zaman pemerintahan Tun Abdullah Badawi seluruh negara disalut dengan sepanduk dan papan tanda besar yang menunjuk wajah Perdana Menteri bersama Menteri-Menteri tertentu, Menteri-Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri.

2. Seorang Menteri pelancongan mempamerkan sepanduk dan papan tanda yang mempunyai gambarnya bersama Perdana Menteri diseluruh negara seolah-olah pelancong akan tertarik melawat Malaysia untuk melihat sepanduk berkenaan.

3. Setelah Dato Seri Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri semua sepanduk dan iklan yang lama telah diturunkan.

4. Saya harap amalan seperti ini tidak diadakan lagi. Jauh daripada mereka yang menaikkan gambar mereka menjadi popular, rakyat sebenarnya jelak dan bosan melihat sepanduk-sepanduk ini mencemarkan kecantikan alam.

5. Saya akan ditegur bahawa di masa saya dulu ada juga sepanduk seperti ini yang dinaikkan oleh Menteri Besar tetapi tidak oleh Menteri Kabinet. Saya akui saya tidak ambil tindakan yang tegas menghentikan amalan ini. Tetapi tidak semua Menteri Besar yang mencuba tunjuk betapa dekatnya mereka dengan Perdana Menteri melalui cara ini.

6. Saya harap Barisan Nasional tidak memulakan semula amalan ini. Ia hanya akan menimbul kebencian kepada mereka.

(http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2009/10/sound-bites---wajah-pemimpin.html)

Read:

Commuters balk at 'Najib Express'

Zulaikha Zulkifli 2:16PM Jul 15, 2012

KTM Komuter trains and stations are now the latest canvas to market the Najib administration to Selangor commuters.

PappaRich Damansara Utama Uptown: PappaRich

PappaRich Damansara Utama

No 64 Grd & 62 Grd, Jalan SS21/58, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

For Soya Milk Pudding drink, make sure you stir as you drink.

If not, the 'Gula Melaka' will melt and sink at the bottom.

Pappa Mee Goreng - nice.

Lady making Pappa Naan (above).

Pappa Naan (below): It goes well with curry.

Fried rice with chicken wings.

This guy came, ordered a drink and watched a movie on a Nokia phone.

Simple pleasure.

‘Debate won’t solve Talam issue' - Chua Jr. Chicken!

‘Debate won’t solve Talam issue’ - The Star

As expected, Tee Yong CHICKENS OUT out Talam debate with Tony Pua

Written by  Maria Begum, Malaysia Chronicle

MK Snack Food, Old Town, PJ: Food for party pack ~ [LATEST] It has moved to 66, Jalan 1/12, Old Town, 46000 Petaling Jaya

If you're planning to throw a birthday party for your kid and want to prepare party packs, just hop over to MK Snack Food at Pemborong & Peruncit MK Snack Food Sdn Bhd. Jalan Pasar 1/21, Old Town, PJ (Jalan Pasar 1/21), Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

It's a place that sells a lot of stuff that you can put in a party pack, even non-food items.

You can call it a 'Miscellaneous Shop'. ;)

Shopping here is much cheaper than shopping at hypermarkets like Giant, Carrefour etc. ;)

 Photos taken using HTC Desire X - free phone from Maxis.

Fong Chan Onn, u ok ah? People also call Najib liar

Seda mulls legal action against Tony Pua

S Pathmawathy 11:23AM Jul 13, 2012

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) is looking into initiating legal action against DAP parliamentarian Tony Pua.

Seda chairperson Fong Chan Onn declined to respond to questions arising from Pua's claims that quotas for solar energy supply were tendered to unqualified companies.


Fong (left) refused to provide details on the selection process for the companies and the qualifications required but when pressed, he said, “The lawyers are looking into it. I mean if you have a company, you registered yesterday and apply today, I can't reject (your application) right? I don't want to answer. He (Pua) is questioning the robustness of the system, not just me. And he is calling me a liar. The legal advisers will advise me accordingly. I'm directed to abide with the directive. Because the allegations are serious, my legal advisers will look into that and see if we can seek any legal recourse.”

During the press conference, Fong, who is also the Alor Gajah BN MP,  pointed out that “calling a person a liar is a serious offence”.

On Tuesday, Pua claimed that the “lion’s share” of the allocation for solar energy via the Feed-In Tariff (FiT) mechanism went to companies “without a proven track record” in the energy field and claimed these companies were linked to former chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan’s daughter Suzi Suliana. who controls 32.4 percent or 45.9MW out of the quota set for solar energy through FiT, far above the limit of 1MW-5MW to bidders, through 12 companies.

Moreover, Pua pointed out that the majority of the companies controlled by Suzi  and her business partners were set up weeks before the Dec 2, 2011 application deadline while established power player such as Cypark Resources Bhd and Petronas Power Sdn Bhd control 9.2 percent and 7.1 percent respectively, together with other suppliers who hold a smaller percentage.


Fong, however, rebutted the claims, insisting that “the selection was above board as it was done through an online system” and that all companies selected had fulfilled the technical and financial requirements and responded today that there were no regulations to stop newly-set-up companies from bidding.

Royalty not above criticism, says ex-mufti, GO Asri

Royalty not above criticism, says ex-mufti

July 12, 2012

Chua, so called accountant, digging hole for himself

Chua digging a hole for himself

July 11, 2012

MCA's Young Professionals Bureau head should stop the attempts to dig a deeper hole for himself while attempting to cover up his RM1 billion mega-blunder.

COMMENT

Read more: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/07/11/chua-digging-a-hole-for-himself/#ixzz20IcHIh2S

By Tony Pua

Chua Tee Yong must tell us where is Selangor’s RM1 billion land scandal or has it become his RM1 billion mega-blunder?

Chua on July 3 made headlines in all media by accusing the Selangor state government of committing a RM1 billion land scandal, bailing out financially stricken property developer Talam Corporation.

Since then we have showed clearly that there was not only no bailout, Talam was forced to repay its debts to the state government amounting to RM392 million which were accrued during the Barisan Nasional regime.

We proved that Chua not only could not tell the difference between debit and credit columns of a balance sheet, he had the uncanny subtraction ability of “two minus one equals three” (2 – 1 = 3) which resulted in the impossible figure of the RM1 billion mega-blunder.

However, since then, Chua failed to respond or clarify on his mega-billion ringgit blunder.

He only said during his press conference on July 5 that he would reply “once he has gathered further information”.

As of today (July 11), Chua has still not responded to or corrected his mega-blunder and this only proves that there was never a RM1 billion scandal and the Selangor state government never bailed out Talam as accused by Chua and MCA.

Never before in the history of Malaysia has a deputy minister “exposed” a RM1 billion “scandal” which subsequently became a RM1 billion mega-blunder, and Chua would suffer the ignominy of becoming the very first in the country.

Chua can’t read and count

The latest RM57 million “overpayment” alleged by Chua proved not only the fact that he doesn’t do his homework, but that he also cannot read and count

MCA accused the Selangor government of “overpaying” RM57.3 million to Talam Corporation Bhd for 53.74 hectares of land in Danau Putra, Selangor.

Chua had claimed that the land was over-valued, because it was 80% submerged under water.

He asked: “Why is the Selangor government buying land which is 80% submerged underwater and requires more than RM50 million to fill up before they can commence development?”

Referring to the exact same document which Chua was using to demonstrate his knowledge during the press conference, the land valuation report by Chartwell ITAC International indeed highlighted the fact that “the cost of filling is estimated of about RM51,500,000”.

However, Chua seems to have failed to read in the same paragraph of the report that Chartwell has already “made further adjustment to our valuation by excluding the estimated cost of earth filling of the area under water”.

After deducting the above, Chartwell arrived at a professional valuation of RM93.5 million for the land which is even higher than the valuation of RM87.7 million given by state government.

Hence, Chua’s accusation that the state has failed to take into account of the submerged land and overpaid as a result, was another simple case of double-counting.

Chua was basically trying to deduct the cost of filling the land again, even after it has been taken into consideration by the professional valuer.

Chua failed to do his homework again

Chua had asked: “How come [one of the four parels of] land was auctioned off? And why was the aforesaid plot priced at 2.86 times the auction amount and, assuming the price was RM5.20 psf, why did the Selangor government overpay by RM57 million?”

He further added that due to some legal complications, the land was auctioned off on Sept 7 that year. However, Chua admitted that he did not know state the nature of the legal action that led to the property being auctioned.

Chua failed to secure information with regard to the legal “complication” above which might have protected him against making another wild unsubstantiated allegation against the Selangor state government.

A look at the publicly available January 2012 Talam Corporation Bhd Annual Report will immediately disclose the history of the legal complication.

Bangkok Bank Bhd (BBB) had erroneously auctioned the above said property on Sept 7, 2010 despite being aware that the land is part and parcel of properties being disposed to Menteri Besar (Incorporated) (MBI) under a settlement agreement entered into on March 12, 2010.

Talam has taken legal action against the bank to recover the losses from the land, where the bank auction purchaser bought for RM15 million, well below the transacted value with MBI of RM48.7 million.

However, what proves to be a stroke of business savvy and negotiating genius of the Khalid Ibrahim-led MBI was the fact that regardless of the outcome of the legal dispute, the interest of the state in collecting the outstanding debt is not at all compromised.

Talam has disclosed in the annual report that “the disposal of this property would not have any significant impact on the MBI settlement agreement”. The company stated that “if necessary, the company will identify a piece of land to replace the abovementioned to MBI”.

This proves that the state government would not lose a single sen over the above transaction unlike what was alleged by Chua. It would perhaps have been more productive if he starts shifting his focus to how Talam was able to amass such a huge RM392 million debt with the state government, and perhaps he might be able to find some mud against BN then.

We have shown clearly with facts, figures and documents to prove that all the alleged scandals raised during Chua’s press conferences were completely without basis.

Chua has proven to be an incompetent leader of the MCA Young Professionals Bureau, making mistakes after mistakes during press conferences.

Chua should perhaps stop the attempts to dig a deeper hole for himself while attempting to cover up his RM1 billion mega-blunder.

Also read:

Chua: S’gor overpaid RM57m for Talam land

Tony Pua is the DAP information chief and member of parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara.

Read more: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/07/11/chua-digging-a-hole-for-himself/#ixzz20IcAmpue

Gold bar-for-gold in Olympic! Money the ONLY thing

12.5kg gold bar offer for Olympic gold medal winners

Read more: 12.5kg gold bar offer for Olympic gold medal winners - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/12-5kg-gold-bar-offer-for-olympic-gold-medal-winners-1.105436##ixzz20GsPXG1C

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant @ Gardens, Mid Valley

 Healthy, tasty food for kids.

The healthy and yummy dinner spread.

The soup is hot and tasty. ;)

'All cleaned up'.

Yen Yen, just say lah, Aussie better than Malaysia!

Yen Yen confirms Aussie PR

July 09, 2012

Ng’s Australian residency had led to questions over her loyalty to the country. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen confirmed today she had applied to be an Australian permanent resident (PR), saying she was “proud” her son had been educated there even as Malaysia struggles to be a regional education hub. The MCA vice-president told reporters today she had applied for Australian residency in the 1990s but gave it up in 1995 after her son had completed his studies there.
“I went to Australia for my son’s education. I am very proud of it (as) my son is a very successful lawyer. I have no regrets,” she was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini.
Ng had come under fire after several websites questioned her loyalty to King and country as she had applied for the Australian PR while being a senator.
Political rival Lim Guan Eng had indirectly alluded to her status yesterday during his public debate with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, saying not every Malaysian is able to get PR in Australia.
Ng told reporters today she was offering the explanation to “prevent being misunderstood”.
“This is typical of Guan Eng. He ran out of issues and instead dug up something that happened 20 years ago,” she was quoted saying, in reply to the DAP secretary-general.

Lim, Chua and 'Ms Tow Truck' Jessie Ooi: DEBATE

Selangor MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi, who rose to prominence during the first public debate between Dr Chua Soi Lek and Lim Guan Eng, thinks that the latter deserve 50 marks out of 100 for his performance.

Ooi applauded Lim for mostly staying on the topic, which she said was a marked improvement from the first debate when met after the debate.

Ooi also commended Chua, her party president, adding that he scored “very well” and responded to every question that was posed to him.

During the first debate back in February, Ooi rose from obscurity after a video clip of her angrily posing an incoherent question to Lim circulated through Facebook but this time round, Ooi never got near the microphone as organisers only took questions from the floor through writing.

Ooi remarked that the organisers - Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) - had done a better job at organising the event and this helped improve the standard of the debate - hence unlike the first debate, the two speakers were able to stick to the topic more.

“In the first debate, they strayed from the topic completely and attack each other for the sake of it. Today they have improved,” she told Malaysiakini.

However, Ooi said she was still disappointed with Lim, over his apparent reluctance to answer certain questions.

Met at the venue, MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong too criticised Lim for dodging questions. Lim's failure to shake hands with Chua also drew critism from Wee who said that as a former debate speaker himself, he could see Lim's arrogance but Wee gave Lim credit for being better prepared this time round.

RM3,000 selling cup cakes: RM3K NOT enuff, Najib

Live Worm Removed From India Man's Eye

A doctor in India has pulled a live five-inch long worm from the eye of an elderly patient who was complaining of persistent pain in an operation reminiscent of a far-fetched alien movie plot.

When Dr V. Seetharaman examined 75-year-old patient P.K. Krishnamurthy at Mumbai's Fortis Hospital this week, the eye expert was shocked by the highly unusual sight of the writhing parasite and had to operate speedily to remove it before serious damage was caused.

"It was wriggling there under the conjunctiva," Seetharaman told AFP, referring to the thin membrane lining the eye. "It was the first time in my career of 30 years that I had seen such a case."

Krishnamurthy had been suffering for more than two weeks with redness and irritation before the doctor pin-pointed the threadlike creature under a microscope on Wednesday.

"He was also confused and very much disturbed," said Seetharaman.

The specialist removed the five-inch worm by making a small opening in the conjunctiva -- a 15-minute operation that was observed by the patient's horrified wife, Saraswati.

"It just kept moving and jumping; it was scary for a bit," she told the Mumbai Mirror.

The patient was relieved of his symptoms while the worm, which was alive for another 30 minutes after surgery, was sent to the hospital's microbiologists to be identified.

Seetharaman had previously only heard of worms of about two to three centimeters being removed. "Probably this is a record," he said.

He suggested the creature could have entered the patient from a cut in his foot or from eating raw or improperly cooked food, before entering the bloodstream and travelling to the eye.

"If the worm was not removed it could have gone into the layers of the eye and caused visual loss," he said. "It could have entered the brain and caused major neurological problems."

Dr S. Narayani, the hospital's medical director, agreed it was an extremely rare case. "We have a very active ophthalmology department and we have not come across a case like this in the last 10 years," she said.

Read more: http://india.nydailynews.com/newsarticle/4fede24bb1e35dec3300001e/doctor-pulls-5-inch-live-worm-from-man-s-eye-in-india#ixzz1zwIDIJDD